Diterpenoid synthesis

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to nucleic acids that encode polypeptides with cytochrome P450 activity involved in the biosynthesis of plant derived diterpenoids or diterpenes.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/105,502, filed Jun. 16, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,246,688, which is the U.S. National Stage of International Application No. PCT/GB2015/050035, filed Jan. 9, 2015, which was published in English under PCT Article 21(2), which in turn claims the benefit of Great Britain Application No. 1400512.8, filed Jan. 13, 2014.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to nucleic acids that encode cytochrome P450 polypeptides involved in the biosynthesis of plant derived diterpenoids and including plants or microbes that express said cytochrome P450 polypeptides.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Terpenes or terpenoids are a structurally diverse and a very large group of organic compounds commonly found in plants ranging from essential and universal primary metabolites such as sterols, carotenoids and hormones to more complex and unique secondary metabolites. Terpenes are hydrocarbons assembled of five carbon terpene or isoprene subunits providing the carbon skeleton. Terpenoids are modified terpenes which typically comprise also oxygen; however, terpenes and terpenoids are often used interchangeably. Terpenoids are classified accordingly to the length of the isoprene units as for example hemiterpenoids consisting of one, monoterpenoids consisting of two, sesquiterpenoids consisting of three and diterpenoids consisting of four isoprene units.

The early core steps in terpenoid biosynthesis are well characterised in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The primary building blocks are isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), which are used for the synthesis of the compounds geranyl diphosphate (GPP), farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) and geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP).

Geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) is the precursor for the synthesis of a variety of diterpenes, which first steps are catalysed by diterpene synthases. For the conversion of terpenes to terpenoids, a number of enzymes may be involved. Cytochrome P450s are typically required for the addition of oxygen, whereas BAHD acyltransferase are often involved in the addition of acyl groups. The enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of some diterpenes, for example paclitaxel, have been partially characterised, with sequences for a diterpene synthase (Wildung & Croteau, 1996. J. Biol. Chem. 271: 9201-9204) a number of cytochrome P450s (Schoendorf et al., 2001. PNAS 98: 1501-1506; Jennewein et al. 2001: PNAS 98: 13595-13600; Jennewein et al. 2003. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 413: 262-270; Jennewein et al., 2004. Chem. Biol. 11: 379-387; Chau et al., 2004a: Chem. Biol. 11: 663-672; Chau et al. 2004b. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 427: 48-57) and a number of acyltransferases (Walker & Croteau, 2000. PNAS 97: 583-587; Walker et al., 2000. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 274: 371-380; Chau et al 2004c. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 430: 237-246) being described. However, the enzymes involved in the synthesis of the vast majority of diterpenoids produced by other plant species remain unknown.

Diterpenes form the basis for many biologically important compounds such as retinol, retinal, and phytol and some compounds have shown antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. A large number of diterpenes have been isolated from plants belonging to the family of Euphorbiaceae. The Euphorbiaceae or spurge family is a large family of flowering plants found all over the world, with some synthesising compounds of considerable biological activity such as ingenol mebutate (Euphorbia peplus), resiniferatoxin (E. resinifera), prostratin (E. cornigera), jatrophanes (Jatropha sp.) and jatrophone (Jatropha sp.).

Although the beneficial effects of some diterpenes are known such as ingenol mebutate which is licensed to treat actinic keratosis, or resiniferatoxin which is currently being tested in Phase II clinical trials for its analgesic effects, sufficient supply is still hampered by the lack of or inefficient chemical synthesis. Similarly, extraction of active compounds from the plant biomass is a complex process requiring several steps and various solvents, and moreover the yield is typically very low. Methods and processes enabling extraction of diterpenes from plants are disclosed in US patent U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,361,697 and 6,228,996.

Bacteria and yeast have been successfully used to engineer biosynthetic pathways for the production of some desired chemical compounds from inexpensive carbon sources. The terpenoid artemisinic acid, a precursor for the anti-malaria drug artemesinin, has been successfully synthesised in yeast using this approach. Bacterial or yeast expression systems are often advantageous over other expression systems as they are easily maintained and various methods are available allowing straightforward expression of transgenic genes. The biosynthesis of isoprenoids using a genetically modified bacterial host cell comprising one or more enzymes of the mevalonate pathway is disclosed in patent application WO2008/039499.

The applicants of the present application have identified a number of cytochrome P450 encoding genes involved in the biosynthesis of diterpenoids.

STATEMENTS OF INVENTION

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a nucleic acid molecule that is isolated from a Euphorbiaceae plant wherein said isolated nucleic acid molecule encodes a cytochrome P450 polypeptide characterized in that said cytochrome P450 polypeptide is involved in the biosynthesis of diterpenoids or intermediates in the biosynthesis of diterpenoids.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said isolated nucleic acid molecule that encodes a cytochrome P450 polypeptide is selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a nucleotide sequence as represented by the sequence in SEQ         ID NO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16,         17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26;     -   ii) a nucleotide sequence wherein said sequence is degenerate as         a result of the genetic code to the nucleotide sequence defined         in (i);     -   iii) a nucleic acid molecule the complementary strand of which         hybridizes under stringent hybridization conditions to the         sequence in SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12,         13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26,         wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes polypeptides involved         in the biosynthesis of diterpenoids or intermediates in the         biosynthesis of diterpenoids;     -   iv) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide comprising         an amino acid sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 27, 28, 29,         30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45,         46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 or 52;     -   v) a nucleotide sequence that encodes a polypeptide comprising         an amino acid sequence wherein said amino acid sequence is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue as represented in iv) above and which has         retained or enhanced diterpenoid biosynthetic activity.

Hybridization of a nucleic acid molecule occurs when two complementary nucleic acid molecules undergo an amount of hydrogen bonding to each other. The stringency of hybridization can vary according to the environmental conditions surrounding the nucleic acids, the nature of the hybridization method, and the composition and length of the nucleic acid molecules used. Calculations regarding hybridization conditions required for attaining particular degrees of stringency are discussed in Sambrook et al., Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., 2001); and Tijssen, Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology—Hybridization with Nucleic Acid Probes Part I, Chapter 2 (Elsevier, New York, 1993). The T_(m) is the temperature at which 50% of a given strand of a nucleic acid molecule is hybridized to its complementary strand. The following is an exemplary set of hybridization conditions and is not limiting:

Very High Stringency (Allows Sequences that Share at Least 90% Identity to Hybridize)

-   -   Hybridization: 5×SSC at 65° C. for 16 hours     -   Wash twice: 2×SSC at room temperature (RT) for 15 minutes each     -   Wash twice: 0.5×SSC at 65° C. for 20 minutes each

High Stringency (Allows Sequences that Share at Least 80% Identity to Hybridize)

-   -   Hybridization: 5×-6×SSC at 65° C.−70° C. for 16-20 hours     -   Wash twice: 2×SSC at RT for 5-20 minutes each     -   Wash twice: 1×SSC at 55° C.−70° C. for 30 minutes each

Low Stringency (Allows Sequences that Share at Least 50% Identity to Hybridize)

-   -   Hybridization: 6×SSC at RT to 55° C. for 16-20 hours     -   Wash at least twice: 2×-3×SSC at RT to 55° C. for 20-30 minutes         each.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 1 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with casbene-oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 2 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with casbene-oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 3 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with casbene-oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 4 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with casbene-oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 5 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with casbene-oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment or aspect of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 6 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with casbene-oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 7 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with casbene-oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 8 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with casbene-5-oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 9 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with neocembrene-5-oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 10 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with 5-keto-casbene 7,8-epoxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 11 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 12 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 13 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 14 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 15 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 16 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 17 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 18 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 19 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 20 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 21 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 22 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 23 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 24 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 25 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule comprises or consists of a nucleotide sequence as represented SEQ ID NO: 26 wherein said nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 27; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 27         and which has retained or enhanced casbene-5-oxidase activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 28; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 28         and which has retained or enhanced casbene-oxidase activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 29; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 29         and which has retained or enhanced casbene-oxidase activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 30; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 30         and which has retained or enhanced casbene-oxidase activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 31; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 31         and which has retained or enhanced casbene-oxidase activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 32; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 32         and which has retained or enhanced casbene-oxidase activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 33; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 33         and which has retained or enhanced casbene-oxidase activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 34; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 34         and which has retained or enhanced casbene-5-oxidase activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 35; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 35         and which has retained or enhanced neocembrene-5-oxidase         activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 36; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 36         and which has retained or enhanced 5-keto-casbene 7,8-epoxidase         activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 37; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 37         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 38; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 38         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 39; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 39         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 40; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 40         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 41; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 41         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 42; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 42         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 43; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 43         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 44; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 44         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 45; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 45         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 46; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 46         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 47; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 47         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 48; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 48         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 49; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 49         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 50; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 50         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 51; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 51         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided an isolated polypeptide selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a polypeptide comprising or consisting of an amino acid         sequence as represented in SEQ ID NO: 52; or     -   ii) a modified polypeptide comprising or consisting of a         modified amino acid sequence wherein said polypeptide is         modified by addition, deletion or substitution of at least one         amino acid residue of the sequence presented in SEQ ID NO: 52         and which has retained or enhanced cytochrome P450 activity.

A modified polypeptide as herein disclosed may differ in amino acid sequence by one or more substitutions, additions, deletions, truncations that may be present in any combination. Among preferred variants are those that vary from a reference polypeptide by conservative amino acid substitutions. Such substitutions are those that substitute a given amino acid by another amino acid of like characteristics. The following non-limiting list of amino acids are considered conservative replacements (similar): a) alanine, serine, and threonine; b) glutamic acid and aspartic acid; c) asparagine and glutamine d) arginine and lysine; e) isoleucine, leucine, methionine and valine and f) phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan. Most highly preferred are variants that retain or enhance the same biological function and activity as the reference polypeptide from which it varies.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the variant polypeptides have at least 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% identity, and at least 99% identity with the full length amino acid sequence illustrated herein.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a vector comprising a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention.

Preferably the nucleic acid molecule in the vector is under the control of, and operably linked to, an appropriate promoter or other regulatory elements for transcription in a host cell such as a microbial, (e.g. bacterial, yeast), or plant cell. The vector may be a bi-functional expression vector which functions in multiple hosts. In the case of genomic DNA this may contain its own promoter or other regulatory elements and in the case of cDNA this may be under the control of an appropriate promoter or other regulatory elements for expression in the host cell.

By “promoter” is meant a nucleotide sequence upstream from the transcriptional initiation site and which contains all the regulatory regions required for transcription. Suitable promoters include constitutive, tissue-specific, inducible, developmental or other promoters for expression in plant cells comprised in plants depending on design. Such promoters include viral, fungal, bacterial, animal and plant-derived promoters capable of functioning in plant cells.

Constitutive promoters include, for example CaMV 35S promoter (Odell et al. (1985) Nature 313, 9810-812); rice actin (McElroy et al. (1990) Plant Cell 2: 163-171); ubiquitin (Christian et al. (1989) Plant Mol. Biol. 18 (675-689); pEMU (Last et al. (1991) Theor. Appl. Genet. 81: 581-588); MAS (Velten et al. (1984) EMBO J. 3. 2723-2730); ALS promoter (U.S. application Ser. No. 08/409,297), and the like. Other constitutive promoters include those in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,608,149; 5,608,144; 5,604,121; 5,569,597; 5,466,785; 5,399,680, 5,268,463; and 5,608,142, each of which is incorporated by reference.

Chemical-regulated promoters can be used to modulate the expression of a gene in a plant through the application of an exogenous chemical regulator. Depending upon the objective, the promoter may be a chemical-inducible promoter, where application of the chemical induced gene expression, or a chemical-repressible promoter, where application of the chemical represses gene expression. Chemical-inducible promoters are known in the art and include, but are not limited to, the maize In2-2 promoter, which is activated by benzenesulfonamide herbicide safeners, the maize GST promoter, which is activated by hydrophobic electrophilic compounds that are used as pre-emergent herbicides, and the tobacco PR-1a promoter, which is activated by salicylic acid. Other chemical-regulated promoters of interest include steroid-responsive promoters (see, for example, the glucocorticoid-inducible promoter in Schena et al. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88: 10421-10425 and McNellis et al. (1998) Plant J. 14(2): 247-257) and tetracycline-inducible and tetracycline-repressible promoters (see, for example, Gatz et al. (1991) Mol. Gen. Genet. 227: 229-237, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,814,618 and 5,789,156, herein incorporated by reference.

Where enhanced expression in particular tissues is desired, tissue-specific promoters can be utilised. Tissue-specific promoters include those described by Yamamoto et al. (1997) Plant J. 12(2): 255-265; Kawamata et al. (1997) Plant Cell Physiol. 38(7): 792-803; Hansen et al. (1997) Mol. Gen. Genet. 254(3): 337-343; Russell et al. (1997) Transgenic Res. 6(2): 157-168; Rinehart et al. (1996) Plant Physiol. 112(3): 1331-1341; Van Camp et al. (1996) Plant Physiol. 112(2): 525-535; Canevascni et al. (1996) Plant Physiol. 112(2): 513-524; Yamamoto et al. (1994) Plant Cell Physiol. 35(5): 773-778; Lam (1994) Results Probl. Cell Differ. 20: 181-196; Orozco et al. (1993) Plant Mol. Biol. 23(6): 1129-1138; Mutsuoka et al. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90 (20): 9586-9590; and Guevara-Garcia et al (1993) Plant J. 4(3): 495-50.

“Operably linked” means joined as part of the same nucleic acid molecule, suitably positioned and oriented for transcription to be initiated from the promoter. DNA operably linked to a promoter is “under transcriptional initiation regulation” of the promoter. In a preferred aspect, the promoter is a tissue specific promoter, an inducible promoter or a developmentally regulated promoter

Particular of interest in the present context are nucleic acid constructs which operate as plant vectors. Specific procedures and vectors previously used with wide success in plants are described by Guerineau and Mullineaux (1993) (Plant transformation and expression vectors. In: Plant Molecular Biology Labfax (Croy RRD ed) Oxford, BIOS Scientific Publishers, pp 121-148. Suitable vectors may include plant viral-derived vectors (see e.g. EP194809). If desired, selectable genetic markers may be included in the construct, such as those that confer selectable phenotypes such as resistance to herbicides (e.g. kanamycin, hygromycin, phosphinothricin, chlorsulfuron, methotrexate, gentamycin, spectinomycin, imidazolinones and glyphosate).

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a transgenic cell transformed or transfected with a nucleic acid molecule or vector according to the invention.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a transgenic cell transformed or transfected with an expression vector adapted to express a nucleic acid molecule comprising at least one nucleotide sequence which is at least 70% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1 and encodes a polypeptide that has casbene oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said transgenic cell is transformed or transfected with an expression vector comprising a nucleotide sequence that is at least 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 76%, 78%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98% or 99% identical to SEQ ID NO 1.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention said transgenic cell is transformed or transfected with a vector comprising a nucleotide sequence selected form the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention said transgenic cell is transformed or transfected with an expression vector comprising one or more additional nucleotide sequences encoding one or more additional polypeptides involved in the biosynthesis of diterpenes and diterpenoids or intermediates selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence that         is at least 71% identical over the full length sequence set         forth in SEQ ID NO: 10 and encodes a polypeptide with         5-keto-casbene 7,8-epoxidase activity; and/or     -   ii) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence         that is at least 75% identical over the full length sequences         set forth in SEQ ID NO 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,         21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26 and encodes a polypeptide with         cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a transgenic cell is transformed or transfected with a vector comprising

-   -   i) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence set         forth in SEQ ID NO 9; or     -   ii) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence         that is at least 81% identical over the full length sequence set         forth in SEQ ID NO: 9 and encodes a polypeptide with         neocembrene-5-oxidase activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said transgenic cell is transformed or transfected with an expression vector comprising one or more additional nucleotide sequences encoding one or more additional polypeptides involved in the biosynthesis of diterpenes and diterpenoids or intermediates selected from the group consisting of a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence that is at least 75% identical over the full length sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26 and encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said cell is a plant cell.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a plant comprising a plant cell according to the invention.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said plant is from the Euphorbiaceae family.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said plant is of the genus Nicotiana spp, for example Nicotiana benthamiana or Nicotiana tabacum.

In an alternative preferred embodiment of the invention said cell is a microbial cell; preferably a bacterial or fungal cell (e.g. yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae).

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said cell is adapted such that the nucleic acid molecule encoding one or more polypeptides according to the invention is over-expressed when compared to a non-transgenic cell of the same species.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a nucleic acid molecule comprising a transcription cassette wherein said cassette includes one or more nucleotide sequences designed with reference to one or more nucleotide sequences selected from the group: SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26 and is adapted for expression by provision of at least one promoter operably linked to said nucleotide sequence such that both sense and antisense molecules are transcribed from said cassette.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said cassette is adapted such that both sense and antisense ribonucleic acid molecules are transcribed from said cassette wherein said sense and antisense nucleic acid molecules are adapted to anneal over at least part or all of their length to form a inhibitory RNA or short hairpin RNA.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said cassette is provided with at least two promoters adapted to transcribe both sense and antisense strands of said ribonucleic acid molecule.

In an alternative preferred embodiment of the invention said cassette comprises a nucleic acid molecule wherein said molecule comprises a first part linked to a second part wherein said first and second parts are complementary over at least part of their sequence and further wherein transcription of said nucleic acid molecule produces an ribonucleic acid molecule which forms a double stranded region by complementary base pairing of said first and second parts thereby forming an short hairpin RNA.

A technique to specifically ablate gene function is through the introduction of double stranded RNA, also referred to as small inhibitory/interfering RNA (siRNA) or short hairpin RNA [shRNA], into a cell which results in the destruction of mRNA complementary to the sequence included in the siRNA/shRNA molecule. The siRNA molecule comprises two complementary strands of RNA (a sense strand and an antisense strand) annealed to each other to form a double stranded RNA molecule. The siRNA molecule is typically derived from exons of the gene which is to be ablated. The mechanism of RNA interference is being elucidated. Many organisms respond to the presence of double stranded RNA by activating a cascade that leads to the formation of siRNA. The presence of double stranded RNA activates a protein complex comprising RNase III which processes the double stranded RNA into smaller fragments (siRNAs, approximately 21-29 nucleotides in length) which become part of a ribonucleoprotein complex. The siRNA acts as a guide for the RNase complex to cleave mRNA complementary to the antisense strand of the siRNA thereby resulting in destruction of the mRNA.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said nucleic acid molecule is part of a vector adapted for expression in a plant cell.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a plant cell transfected with a nucleic acid molecule or vector according to the invention wherein said cell has reduced expression of a polypeptide according to the invention.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a process for the modification of one or more diterpenes and diterpenoids comprising:

-   -   i) providing a transgenic plant cell according to the invention;     -   ii) cultivating said plant cell to produce a transgenic plant;         and optionally     -   i) harvesting said transgenic plant, or part thereof.

According to an alternative aspect of the invention there is provided a process for the modification of one or more diterpenes or diterpenoids comprising:

-   -   i) providing a transgenic microbial cell according to the         invention that expresses one or more nucleic acid molecules         according to the invention in culture with at least one         diterpene and/or diterpenoid metabolite;     -   ii) cultivating the microbial cell under conditions that modify         one or more diterpenes or diterpenoids; and optionally     -   iii) isolating said diterpenoid from the microbial cell or cell         culture.

In a preferred method of the invention said microbial cell is a bacterial cell or fungal/yeast cell.

If microbial cells are used as organisms in the process according to the invention they are grown or cultured in the manner with which the skilled worker is familiar, depending on the host organism. As a rule, microorganisms are grown in a liquid medium comprising a carbon source, usually in the form of sugars, a nitrogen source, usually in the form of organic nitrogen sources such as yeast extract or salts such as ammonium sulfate, trace elements such as salts of iron, manganese and magnesium and, if appropriate, vitamins, at temperatures of between 0° C. and 100° C., preferably between 10° C. and 60° C., while gassing in oxygen.

The pH of the liquid medium can either be kept constant, that is to say regulated during the culturing period, or not. The cultures can be grown batchwise, semi-batchwise or continuously. Nutrients can be provided at the beginning of the fermentation or fed in semi-continuously or continuously. The diterpenoids produced can be isolated from the organisms as described above by processes known to the skilled worker, for example by extraction, distillation, crystallization, if appropriate precipitation with salt, and/or chromatography. To this end, the organisms can advantageously be disrupted beforehand. In this process, the pH value is advantageously kept between pH 4 and 12, preferably between pH 6 and 9, especially preferably between pH 7 and 8.

The culture medium to be used must suitably meet the requirements of the strains in question. Descriptions of culture media for various microorganisms can be found in the textbook “Manual of Methods for General Bacteriology” of the American Society for Bacteriology (Washington D.C., USA, 1981).

As described above, these media which can be employed in accordance with the invention usually comprise one or more carbon sources, nitrogen sources, inorganic salts, vitamins and/or trace elements.

Preferred carbon sources are sugars, such as mono-, di- or polysaccharides. Examples of carbon sources are glucose, fructose, mannose, galactose, ribose, sorbose, ribulose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, raffinose, starch or cellulose. Sugars can also be added to the media via complex compounds such as molasses or other by-products from sugar refining. The addition of mixtures of a variety of carbon sources may also be advantageous. Other possible carbon sources are oils and fats such as, for example, soya oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil and/or coconut fat, fatty acids such as, for example, palmitic acid, stearic acid and/or linoleic acid, alcohols and/or polyalcohols such as, for example, glycerol, methanol and/or ethanol, and/or organic acids such as, for example, acetic acid and/or lactic acid.

Nitrogen sources are usually organic or inorganic nitrogen compounds or materials comprising these compounds. Examples of nitrogen sources comprise ammonia in liquid or gaseous form or ammonium salts such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, ammonium phosphate, ammonium carbonate or ammonium nitrate, nitrates, urea, amino acids or complex nitrogen sources such as corn steep liquor, soya meal, soya protein, yeast extract, meat extract and others. The nitrogen sources can be used individually or as a mixture.

Inorganic salt compounds which may be present in the media comprise the chloride, phosphorus and sulfate salts of calcium, magnesium, sodium, cobalt, molybdenum, potassium, manganese, zinc, copper and iron.

Inorganic sulfur-containing compounds such as, for example, sulfates, sulfites, dithionites, tetrathionates, thiosulfates, sulfides, or else organic sulfur compounds such as mercaptans and thiols may be used as sources of sulfur for the production of sulfur-containing fine chemicals, in particular of methionine.

Phosphoric acid, potassium dihydrogen phosphate or dipotassium hydrogen phosphate or the corresponding sodium-containing salts may be used as sources of phosphorus.

Chelating agents may be added to the medium in order to keep the metal ions in solution. Particularly suitable chelating agents comprise dihydroxyphenols such as catechol or protocatechuate and organic acids such as citric acid.

The fermentation media used according to the invention for culturing microorganisms usually also comprise other growth factors such as vitamins or growth promoters, which include, for example, biotin, riboflavin, thiamine, folic acid, nicotinic acid, pantothenate and pyridoxine. Growth factors and salts are frequently derived from complex media components such as yeast extract, molasses, corn steep liquor and the like. It is moreover possible to add suitable precursors to the culture medium. The exact composition of the media compounds heavily depends on the particular experiment and is decided upon individually for each specific case. Information on the optimization of media can be found in the textbook “Applied Microbiol. Physiology, A Practical Approach” (Editors P. M. Rhodes, P. F. Stanbury, IRL Press (1997) pp. 53-73, ISBN 0 19 963577 3). Growth media can also be obtained from commercial suppliers, for example Standard 1 (Merck) or BHI (brain heart infusion, DIFCO) and the like.

All media components are sterilized, either by heat (20 min at 1.5 bar and 121° C.) or by filter sterilization. The components may be sterilized either together or, if required, separately. All media components may be present at the start of the cultivation or added continuously or batchwise, as desired.

The culture temperature is normally between 15° C. and 45° C., preferably at from 25° C. to 40° C., and may be kept constant or may be altered during the experiment. The pH of the medium should be in the range from 5 to 8.5, preferably around 7.0. The pH for cultivation can be controlled during cultivation by adding basic compounds such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonia and aqueous ammonia or acidic compounds such as phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid. Foaming can be controlled by employing antifoams such as, for example, fatty acid polyglycol esters. To maintain the stability of plasmids it is possible to add to the medium suitable substances having a selective effect, for example antibiotics. Aerobic conditions are maintained by introducing oxygen or oxygen-containing gas mixtures such as, for example, ambient air into the culture. The temperature of the culture is normally 20° C. to 45° C. and preferably 25° C. to 40° C. The culture is continued until formation of the desired product is at a maximum. This aim is normally achieved within 10 to 160 hours.

The fermentation broth can then be processed further. The biomass may, according to requirement, be removed completely or partially from the fermentation broth by separation methods such as, for example, centrifugation, filtration, decanting or a combination of these methods or be left completely in said broth. It is advantageous to process the biomass after its separation. However, the fermentation broth can also be thickened or concentrated without separating the cells, using known methods such as, for example, with the aid of a rotary evaporator, thin-film evaporator, falling-film evaporator, by reverse osmosis or by nanofiltration. Finally, this concentrated fermentation broth can be processed to obtain the diterpenoids present therein.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided the use of a gene encoded by a nucleic acid molecule as represented by the nucleic acid sequence in SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26 or a nucleic acid molecule the complementary strand of which hybridizes under stringent hybridization conditions to the nucleotide sequence in SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26 and encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity as a means to identify a locus wherein said locus is associated with altered expression or activity of diterpenoid and diterpene biosynthetic activity.

Mutagenesis as a means to induce phenotypic changes in organisms is well known in the art and includes but is not limited to the use of mutagenic agents such as chemical mutagens [e.g. base analogues, deaminating agents, DNA intercalating agents, alkylating agents, transposons, bromine, sodium azide] and physical mutagens [e.g. ionizing radiation, UV irradiation].

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method to produce a plant of the Euphorbiaceae family that has altered expression of a polypeptide according to the invention comprising the steps of:

-   -   i) mutagenesis of wild-type seed from a plant of the         Euphorbiaceae family that does express said polypeptide;     -   ii) cultivation of the seed in i) to produce first and         subsequent generations of plants;     -   iii) obtaining seed from the first generation plant and         subsequent generations of plants;     -   iv) determining if the seed from said first and subsequent         generations of plants has altered nucleotide sequence and/or         altered expression of said polypeptide;     -   v) obtaining a sample and analysing the nucleic acid sequence of         a nucleic acid molecule selected from the group consisting of:         -   a) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence             as represented in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,             14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 27;         -   b) a nucleic acid molecule that hybridises to the nucleic             acid molecule in a) under stringent hybridisation conditions             and that encodes a polypeptide with casbene oxidase or             cytochrome P450 activity; and optionally     -   vi) comparing the nucleotide sequence of the nucleic acid         molecule in said sample to a nucleotide sequence of a nucleic         acid molecule of the original wild-type plant.

In a preferred method of the invention said nucleic acid molecule is analysed by a method comprising the steps of:

-   -   i) extracting nucleic acid from said mutated plants;     -   ii) amplification of a part of said nucleic acid molecule by a         polymerase chain reaction;     -   iii) forming a preparation comprising the amplified nucleic acid         and nucleic acid extracted from wild-type seed to form         heteroduplex nucleic acid;     -   iv) incubating said preparation with a single stranded nuclease         that cuts at a region of heteroduplex nucleic acid to identify         the mismatch in said heteroduplex; and     -   v) determining the site of the mismatch in said nucleic acid         heteroduplex.

In a preferred method of the invention said plant of the Euphorbiaceae has enhanced diterpenoid and diterpene biosynthetic activity.

In an alternative preferred method of the invention said plant of the Euphorbiaceae has reduced or abrogated diterpenoid and diterpene biosynthetic activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a plant of the Euphorbiaceae family obtained by the method according to the invention.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a plant of the Euphorbiaceae family wherein said plant comprises a viral vector that includes all or part of a gene comprising a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said gene or part is encoded by a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   i) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence as         represented in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,         15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26;     -   ii) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence         that hybridises under stringent hybridisation conditions to a         nucleic acid molecule in (i) and which encodes a polypeptide         with cytochrome P450 activity.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a viral vector comprising all or part of a nucleic acid molecule according to the invention.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided the use of a viral vector according to the invention in viral induced gene silencing in a plant of the Euphorbiaceae.

Virus induced gene silencing [VIGS] is known in the art and exploits a RNA mediated antiviral defence mechanism. Plants that are infected with an unmodified virus induce a mechanism that specifically targets the viral genome. However, viral vectors which are engineered to include nucleic acid molecules derived from host plant genes also induce specific inhibition of viral vector expression and additionally target host mRNA. This allows gene specific gene silencing without genetic modification of the plant genome and is essentially a non-transgenic modification.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words “comprise” and “contain” and variations of the words, for example “comprising” and “comprises”, means “including but not limited to”, and is not intended to (and does not) exclude other moieties, additives, components, integers or steps. “Consisting essentially” means having the essential integers but including integers which do not materially affect the function of the essential integers.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise.

Features, integers, characteristics, compounds, chemical moieties or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by example only and with reference to the following figures:

FIGS. 1A-1E: GC-MS analysis of N. benthamiana leaf extracts transiently expressing casbene synthase and cytochrome P450 enzymes. A-GC chromatograph obtained with expression of casbene synthase only (lower, black), casbene synthase and CYP726A14 (SEQ ID NO 2) (middle, red) and casbene synthase plus CYP726A14 (SEQ ID NO 2) and CYP726A16 (SEQ ID NO 10) (upper, blue). The two insets display rescaled chromatographs containing the retention times at which the casbene synthase oxidation products eluted from the column. B-E—Election impact mass spectra for casbene (B), casbene oxidation products produced by CYP726A14 (SEQ ID NO 2) (C & D) and the product obtained from co-expression of proteins encoded CYP726A14 (SEQ ID NO 2) and CYP726A16 (SEQ ID NO 10).

FIG. 2: GC analysis of a chloroform extract of N. benthamiana leaves infiltrated with a p19 vector, a pFGC vector containing a casbene synthase ORF for J. curcas and pFGC vectors contain the ORF for a cytochrome P450 gene as indicated in the top right of each graph.

FIG. 3: GC analysis of a chloroform extract of N. benthamiana leaves infiltrated with a p19 vector, a pFGC vector containing the neocembrene synthase ORF for J. curcas and pFGC vectors contain the ORF for a cytochrome P450 gene as indicated in the top right of each graph.

FIG. 4: Structures of casbene (left), 5-hydroxycasbene (centre) and 5-ketocasbene (right) as established by 1D- and 2D-NMR. ¹H and ¹³C assignments at each position are shown in black and red, respectively.

FIG. 5 provides cDNA sequences that encode polypeptides with casbene-oxidase activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NOS: 1 and 2).

FIG. 6 provides cDNA sequences that encode polypeptides with casbene-oxidase activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NOS: 3 and 4).

FIG. 7 provides cDNA sequences that encode polypeptides with casbene-oxidase activity from Euphorbia fischeriana (SEQ ID NO: 5) and Jatropha curcas (SEQ ID NO: 6).

FIG. 8 provides a cDNA sequence that encodes a polypeptide with casbene-oxidase activity from Jatropha gossypifolia (SEQ ID NO: 7) and a cDNA sequence that encodes a polypeptide with casbene-5-oxidase activity from Euphorbia peplus (SEQ ID NO: 8).

FIG. 9 provides a cDNA sequence that encodes a polypeptide with neocembrene-5-oxidase activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NO: 9) and a cDNA sequence that encodes a polypeptide with 5-keto-casbene 7,8-epoxidase activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NO: 10).

FIG. 10 provides a cDNA sequence that encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NO: 11) and a cDNA sequence that encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NO: 12).

FIG. 11 provides cDNA sequences that encode polypeptides with cytochrome P450 activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NOS: 13 and 14).

FIG. 12 provides cDNA sequences that encode polypeptides with cytochrome P450 activity from Euphorbia peplus (SEQ ID NOS: 15, 16 and 17).

FIG. 13 provides cDNA sequences that encode polypeptides with cytochrome P450 activity from Jatropha curcas (SEQ ID NOS: 18 and 19).

FIG. 14 provides cDNA sequences that encode polypeptides with cytochrome P450 activity from Jatropha curcas (SEQ ID NOS: 20, 21 and 22).

FIG. 15 provides cDNA sequences that encode polypeptides with cytochrome P450 activity from Jatropha curcas (SEQ ID NOS: 23 and 24).

FIG. 16 provides cDNA sequences that encode polypeptides with cytochrome P450 activity from Jatropha curcas (SEQ ID NOS: 25 and 26).

FIG. 17 provides protein sequences with casbene-5-oxidase activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NO: 27), casbene-oxidase activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NOS: 28 and 29), casbene-oxidase activity from Euphorbia peplus (SEQ ID NO: 30), or casbene-oxidase activity from Euphorbia fischeriana (SEQ ID NO: 31).

FIG. 18 provides protein sequences with casbene-5-oxidase activity from Jatropha curcas (SEQ ID NO: 32), casbene-oxidase activity from Jatropha gossypifolia (SEQ ID NO: 33), casbene-5-oxidase activity from Euphorbia peplus (SEQ ID NO: 34), neocembrene-5-oxidase activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NO: 35), or 5-keto-casbene 7,8-epoxidase activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NO: 36).

FIG. 19 provides protein sequences with cytochrome P450 activity from Ricinus communis (SEQ ID NOS: 37, 38, 39, and 40) and from Euphorbia peplus (SEQ ID NO: 41).

FIG. 20 provides protein sequences with cytochrome P450 activity from Euphorbia peplus (SEQ ID NOS: 42 and 43), and from Jatropha curcas (SEQ ID NOS: 44, 45 and 46).

FIG. 21 provides protein sequences with cytochrome P450 activity from Jatropha curcas (SEQ ID NOS: 47, 48, 49, and 50).

FIG. 22 provides a protein sequence with cytochrome P450 activity from Jatropha curcas (SEQ ID NO: 52).

TABLE 1 Primers used for cloning genes Gene ID & annotation Primer name Species Sequence (SEQ ID NO:) Rc30169.m006273 Rc6273F (ID 53) R. communis 5′-ATGGACAAGCAAATCCTATCATATCC-3′ (53) (CYP726A13) Rc6275R (ID 54) R. communis 5′-TCAGTCCGTTGTTGGTGAAGGG-3′ (54) (SEQ ID NO 11) Rc30169.m006275 Rc6275F (ID 55) R. communis 5′-ATGGAGCAGCAATTGCTATCG-3′ (55) (CYP726A14) Rc6275R (ID 56) R. communis 5′-CTATGGCAAAGTAGTGAATGGAATGG (56) (SEQ ID NO 2) Rc30169.m006276 Rc6276F (ID 57) R. communis 5′-ATGGCACTGCAATCACTACTATTC-3′ (57) (Neocembrene synthase) Rc6276R (ID 58) R. communis 5′-TTACACATGTTTTGTTTTGGTTTCTCC-3′ (58) (SEQ ID NO 85) Rc30169.m006277 Rc6277F (ID 59) R. communis 5′-ATGTCATTGCAACCTGCACCTG-3′ (59) (CYP726A15) Rc6277R (ID60) R. communis 5′-TTAAGGATGAAATAGAACAGGAATC-3′ (60) (SEQ ID NO 9) Rc30169.m006279 Rc6279F (ID 61) R. communis 5′-ATGGAAAGTGCTGCTCACCAATC-3′ (61) (CYP726A16) Rc6279R (ID 62) R. communis 5′-TTATGGTAAAGGACTGACGGGAATGG-3 (62) (SEQ ID NO 10) Rc30169.m006282 Rc6282F (ID 63) R. communis 5′-ATGGAGAAACAAATCCTATCATTTCCAG-3′ (63) (CYP726A17) Rc6282R (ID 64) R. communis 5′-CTAAGGAGTAAATGGAATGGGAATC-3′ (64) (SEQ ID NO 3) Rc30169.m006285 Rc6285F (ID 65) R. communis 5′-ATGTCATCACAACCAGCAGTTTTAC-3′ (65) (CYP726A18) Rc6285R (ID 66) R. communis 5′-TCAATGTGTAGGATATAGAACAGG-3′ (66) (SEQ ID NO 1) JcCAS1 JcCAS1_F (ID 67) J. curcas 5′-TTCATATTTGTTGCTAATCCTC-3′ (67) (Casbene synthase) JcCAS1_R (ID 68) J. curcas 5′-CAAGGTACAGGATTTATGCAAATCC-3′ (68) (SEQ ID NO 86)

TABLE 2 Primers used for insertion of genes into pFGC5941 Gene ID & annotation Primer name Species Sequence Rc30169.m006273 Rc6273F_AscI R. communis 5′-AAAAGGCGCGCCAAAAATGGACAAGCAAATCCTATC-3′ (69) (CYP726A13) (ID 69) (SEQ ID NO 11) Rc6273R_PacI R. communis 5′-AAAATTAATTAATCAGTCCGTTGTTGGTGAAG-3′ (70) (ID 70) Rc30169.m006275 Rc6275F_AscI R. communis 5′-AAAAGGCGCGCCAAAAATGGAGCAGCAATTGCTATCG-3′ (71) (CYP726A14) (ID 71) (SEQ ID NO 2) Rc6275R_PacI R. communis 5′-AAAATTAATTAACTATGGCAAAGTAGTGAATG-3′ (72) (ID 72) Rc30169.m006276 Rc6276F_AscI R. communis 5′-AAAAGGCGCGCCAAAAATGGCACTGCAATCACTACTATTC-3′ (Neocembrene (ID 73) (73) synthase) Rc6276R_PacI R. communis 5′-AAAATTAATTAATTACACATGTTTTGTTTTGGTTTCTC-′3 (74) (SEQ ID NO 85) (ID 74) Rc30169.m006277 Rc6277F_AscI R. communis 5′-AAAAGGCGCGCCAAAAATGTCATTGCAACCTGCACCTG-3′ (75) (CYP726A15) (ID 75) (SEQ ID NO 9) Rc6277R_PacI R. communis 5′-AAAATTAATTAATTAAGGATGAAATAGAACAG-3′ (76) (ID 76) Rc30169.m006279 Rc6279F_AscI R. communis 5′-AAAAGGCGCGCCAAAAATGGAAAGTGCTGCTCACCAATC-3′ (CYP726A16) (ID 77) (77) (SEQ ID NO 10) Rc6279R_PacI R. communis 5′-AAAATTAATTAATTATGGTAAAGGACTGACG-3′ (78) (ID 78) Rc30169.m006282 Rc6282F_AscI R. communis 5′-AAAAGGCGCGCCAAAAATGGAGAAACAAATCCTATCATTTC-3′ (CYP726A17) (ID 79) (79) (SEQ ID NO 3) Rc6282R_PacI R. communis 5′-AAAATTAATTAACTAAGGAGTAAATGGAATG-3′ (80) (ID 80) Rc30169.m006285 Rc6285F_AscI R. communis 5′-AAAAGGCGCGCCAAAAATGTCATCACAACCAGCAGTTTTAC-3′ (CYP726A18) (ID 81) (81) (SEQ ID NO 1) Rc6285R_PacI R. communis 5′-AAAATTAATTAATCAATGTGTAGGATATAGAAC-3′ (82) (ID 82) JcCAS1 JcCAS1_AscI_F J. curcas 5′-AAAAGGCGCGCCAAAAATGGCAATGCAACCTGCAATTG-3′ (83) (Casbene (ID 83) synthase) JcCA51_PacI_R J. curcas 5′-AAAATTAATTAATCAAGTGGCAATAGGTTCAATGAAC-3′ (84) (SEQ ID NO 86) (ID 84)

Materials and Methods

Plant Materials, Nucleic Acid Extraction and Cloning of cDNA Sequences.

Ricinus communis (var. Carmencita) seeds were obtained from Thompson & Morgan (Ipswich, UK). Jatropha curcas seeds were obtained from Diligent (Tanzania). Euphorbia peplus seeds were obtained from All Rare Herbs (Mapleton, Old, Australia). Total RNA was extracted from plants using the CTAB-lithium chloride method (Gasic et al., 2004. Plant. Mol. Bio. Rep. 22:437a-437g). RNA samples were DNase treated and further purified using the on-column digestion protocol for the QIAgen RNeasy miniprep kit. cDNA was then synthesised from 5 μg of total RNA using Superscript II reverse transcriptase (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, Calif., USA) and a 5′-T(₁₈)VN-3′ oligonucleotides in a 20 μl volume according to the manufacturer's protocol. The cDNA product was then diluted to 50 μl with 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0). cDNA sequences were amplified with primers detailed in Table 1 using Phusion High-Fidelity Pfu DNA polymerase (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, Mass.) according to the manufacturer's recommended protocol and the subcloned in vector pJET 1.2 (Thermo Scientific). The cDNA sequences were the verified by dye-terminator sequencing.

Expression of Diterpenoid Biosynthetic Genes in Nicotiana benthamiana

AscI and PacI sites were added at the 5′ and 3′ end of the ORF by PCR using Phusion High Fidelity Pfu polymerase using the primers detailed a Table 2. For each ORF, a 5-AAAA-3′ Kozak sequence was included immediately before each start codon. After restriction digestion, the ORF was then inserted into the 10 kb fragment obtained from digestion of pFGC5941 (Kerschen et al., 2004. FEBS Lett. 566: 223-228) with restriction enzymes AscI and PacI. The expression vectors were then transformed into Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101::pMP90 using the freeze-thaw method (Hofgen & Willmitzer 1988. Nucleic Acids. Res. 16: 9877). Infiltration of N. benthamiana plants was performed as described previously using an enhanced system which utilizes the p19 protein of tomato bushy stunt virus to reduce the effects of post-transcriptional gene silencing (Voinnet et al., 2003. Plant J. 33: 949-956).

Extraction of Terpenoids from N. benthamiana Leaves and GC-MS Analysis

Five days after Agrobacterium infiltration, three leaves were collected from each plant, ground in liquid nitrogen and then extracted with 10 ml of chloroform. The extracts were concentrated to <500 μl under a stream of nitrogen, and then 5 μl of the extract was analysed GC-MS. GC-MS analysis was performed using Thermofinnigan GCQ coupled to a Polaris MS and AS2000 autosampler. The GC was fitted with a Restek (Bellafonte, Pa., USA) RTX-551L MS capillary column (30 m, 0.25 mm ID, 0.25 μM df). The oven temperature was set at 100° C. for 2 minutes and then increased to 300° C. at a rate of 5° C. min-1. Mass spectral data was acquired for the m/z ranges of 50-450.

Purification of the Casbene and Two Oxidation Products Produced by CYP726A14 (SEQ ID NO 2)

100 g of Agrobacterium infiltrated N. benthamiana leaves were dried by lyophilisation and then extracted twice with 200 ml of 60/40 hexane/isopropanol. The extract was dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate and the solvent was then removed by rotary evaporation to yield 520 mg of a green oily residue. This extract was dissolved in 10 ml of hexane fractionated by flash chromatography using 25 grams of silica gel 60 (particle size 35-70 μM, 220-440 mesh) as a stationary phase. The mobile phases were (a) 250 ml of hexane, (b) 250 ml of 2% ethyl acetate in hexane, (c) 250 ml 10% ethyl acetate in hexane and (d) 50% ethyl acetate in hexane. Fractions of 25 ml were collected and an aliquot from each was analysed for the presence of casbene or casbene oxidation products by GC-MS (as above). Fractions containing the desired compounds were pooled then concentrated via rotary evaporation. The casbene fraction did not require further purification, but the two casbene oxidation products were further purified using reverse phased HPLC. The fractions were evaporated to dryness and then dissolved in 250 μl of methanol. 10 μl aliquots were separated on a Develosil C30-UG-S column (3 mm ID, 5 μM particle size, Nomura Chemical Co. Ltd, Seto, Japan) using a three solvent gradient. Solvent A was 20 mM ammonium formate, 0.2% formic acid and 20% water in methanol. Solvent B was 0.2% formic acid in methanol. Solvent C was 0.2% formic acid in tetrahydrofuran. The gradient was ran as follows; at injection, 80% Solvent A and 20% solvent B ramping via a linear gradient to 40% solvent A and 60% solvent B over 16 minutes. After holding at this ratio for a further 1 minute, the solvents were switched to 40% solvent B and 60% solvent C for a further 8 minutes. The flow rate was 1 ml minute-1. Detection was performed using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (+ve). The fractions were then pooled, evaporated to dryness in a GeneVac EZ-2 plus (Ipswich, UK) and dissolved in 500 μl of CDCl₃.

NMR Analysis of Casbene and Casbene Oxidation Products

All NMR data were recorded with a Bruker AVIII 700 MHz instrument, equipped with a TCI probe. 2D-NMR datasets were typically acquired with 2,048 points in F2 and 256 increments in F1 then Fourier transformed to give a spectral resolution of 4,096×1,024 data points.

EXAMPLE 1: MODIFICATION OF CASBENE BY CYP726A14 (SEQ ID NO 2), CYP726A17(SEQ ID NO 3) AND CYP726A18 (SEQ ID NO 1) FROM R. COMMUNIS

To determine whether any of the R. communis P450 genes were capable of modifying casbene, we used a transient expression system in Nicotiana benthamiana. A casbene synthase gene from J. curcas and each of the P450 genes were co-expressed via infiltration of young N. benthamiana plants by multiple combinations of Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains harbouring different expression vectors. Five days after infection, chloroform extracts of the leaves were analysed by GC-MS. Three of the P450 genes (CYP726A14 (SEQ ID NO 2), CYP726A17 (SEQ ID NO 3) and CYP726A18 (SEQ ID NO 1)) were able to use casbene as a substrate (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2).

EXAMPLE 2: MODIFICATION OF NEOCEMBRENE BY CYP726A15 (SEQ ID NO 9) FROM R. COMMUNIS

To determine whether any of the R. communis P450 genes were capable of modifying casbene, we used a transient expression system in Nicotiana benthamiana. A neocembrene synthase gene from R. communis and each of the P450 genes were co-expressed via infiltration of young N. benthamiana plants by multiple combinations of Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains harbouring different expression vectors. Five days after infection, chloroform extracts of the leaves were analysed by GC-MS. CYP726A15 (SEQ ID NO 9), was able to use neocembrene as a substrate (FIG. 3).

EXAMPLE 3: NMR ANALYSIS OF THE PRODUCTS OF CYP726A14 (SEQ ID NO 2) REVEALS IT IS A CASBENE 5-OXIDASE

To obtain structures of the two products of CYP726A14 (SEQ ID NO 2) (and therefore CYP726A17 (SEQ ID NO 3) and CYP726A18 (SEQ ID NO 1)), lyophilized material from 100 g of infiltrated leaf material was extracted. The two casbene oxidation products were purified using a combination of normal-phase flash chromatography and preparative reversed-phase HPLC to yield approximately 300 μg of casbene, 30 μg of 5-hydroxycasbene and 15 μg of 5-ketocasbene. All three samples were dissolved separately in CDCl3 (500 μl) and NMR data was recorded at 700 MHz. Following acquisition of both 1D-¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra, the 2D-experiment, edited-HSQC, was used to determine which protons and carbons were directly attached to one another via a single bond. Both HMBC and ¹H-¹H COSY experiments were then used to connect these fragments of the molecule together through the observation, respectively, of 2- and 3-bond couplings between proton and carbon; and (predominantly) 3-bond couplings between protons. The ¹H and ¹³O assignments resulting from these experiments are shown at each position on the structures appearing in FIG. 4. The perturbations to both 1H and 13C chemical shifts at and around the 5-position of the two oxygenated derivatives of casbene support the two functionalizations which are proposed.

EXAMPLE 4: MODIFICATION OF 5-KETOCASBENE BY CYP726A16 FROM R. COMMUNIS

To determine whether any of the R. communis P450 genes were capable of modifying 5-hydroxy- or 5-ketocasbene, we used a transient expression system in Nicotiana benthamiana. A casbene synthase gene from J. curcas, CYP726A16 (SEQ ID NO 10) from R. communis and each of the other R. communis P450 genes were co-expressed via infiltration of young N. benthamiana plants by multiple combinations of Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains harbouring different expression vectors. Five days after infection, chloroform extracts of the leaves were analysed by GC-MS. An additional product was observed when CYP726A16 was co-expressed, and the relative levels of 5-ketocasbene were decreased (retention time 27.08 minutes in FIG. 1). CYP726A16 (SEQ ID NO 10) was therefore identified as a 5-ketocasbene oxidase. 

1. A transgenic cell comprising an expression vector adapted to express a nucleic acid molecule comprising at least one nucleotide sequence which is at least 70% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1 and encodes a polypeptide that has casbene oxidase activity.
 2. The transgenic cell of claim 1, wherein the vector comprises the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, or 8, wherein said nucleotide sequence encodes a casbene oxidase.
 3. The transgenic cell of claim 1, wherein said transgenic cell further comprises another expression vector comprising one or more additional nucleotide sequences encoding one or more additional polypeptides involved in the biosynthesis of diterpenoids, or diterpenoid intermediates, wherein the one or more additional nucleotide sequences comprises: i) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence that is at least 71% identical over the full length sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 10 and encodes a polypeptide with 5-keto-casbene 7,8-epoxidase activity; and/or ii) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence that is at least 75% identical over the full length sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26 and encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity.
 4. The transgenic cell of claim 1, wherein said transgenic cell is a plant cell.
 5. The transgenic cell of claim 1, wherein said transgenic cell is a microbial cell.
 6. The microbial cell of claim 5, wherein said microbial cell is a bacterial or fungal cell.
 7. The plant cell of claim 4, wherein said plant cell is adapted such that the nucleic acid molecule e is over-expressed when compared to a non-transgenic cell of the same species.
 8. A plant comprising the plant cell of claim
 4. 9. The plant of claim 8, wherein said plant is from the Euphorbiaceae family.
 10. The plant of claim 8, wherein said plant is of the genus Nicotiana spp.
 11. The fungal cell of claim 6, wherein said fungal cell is Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
 12. A process for modifying of one or more diterpenoids or diterpenes, comprising: i) providing the transgenic plant cell according to claim 4; ii) cultivating said plant cell to produce a transgenic plant; and optionally iii) harvesting said transgenic plant, or part thereof.
 13. A process for modifying one or more diterpenes or diterpenoids, comprising: i) providing the transgenic microbial cell according to claim 5 that expresses at least one diterpene and/or diterpenoid metabolite; ii) cultivating the microbial cell under conditions that modify one or more diterpenes or diterpenoids; and optionally iii) isolating said diterpenoid from the microbial cell or cell culture.
 14. The transgenic cell of claim 1, wherein the expression vector further comprises one or more additional nucleotide sequences encoding one or more additional polypeptides involved in the biosynthesis of diterpenoids, or diterpenoid intermediates, wherein the one or more additional nucleotide sequences comprises: i) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence that is at least 71% identical over the full length sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 10 and encodes a polypeptide with 5-keto-casbene 7,8-epoxidase activity; and/or ii) a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence that is at least 75% identical over the full length sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 or 26 and encodes a polypeptide with cytochrome P450 activity. 